10 animals that have survived the threat of extinction so far
About half a decade ago a mysterious “melting” virus basically wiped out millions of starfish off the western coast of North America and pushed a number of species to the brink of extinction. It was a scary time to be a starfish to be sure, but now things are coming up… well, Starfish. According to … Continued
10 animals that are being eaten to extinction in the 21st century
Around 2 million years ago our ancestors first began the act of purposefully hunting and killing animals in the grasslands of Africa for food. Coincidentally, the fossil record shows that it was around this time that our brains and bodies grew in size—quite possibly fuelled by our new diet—and it wasn’t long (evolutionarily speaking) before … Continued
10 species we know almost absolutely nothing about
From giant canopy-dwelling stick insects, to a mysterious spiny anteater in the Cyclops Mountains, onto otherworldly tentacles in the deepest depths of the ocean buried; there are plenty of species that we know almost nothing about, despite our best efforts. In some cases, the species is almost certainly extinct and just a handful of remaining … Continued
Whale and winghead sharks heading for existential abyss, and imminent extinction looms over orangutans
Human behaviour is pushing several species right to the very brink of extinction, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently warned. The organisation, which monitors the world’s most vulnerable populations, has just listed whale sharks and winghead sharks as ‘Endangered’, while Bornean orangutans have been added to the ‘Critically Endangered’ section … Continued
This is the first mammal to go extinct due to climate change, and you probably didn't know it existed
The image above is of the Bramble Cay melomys, or Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat. These rodents were once found on a tiny, remote reef island found at the northern tip of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which they shared with shore birds and green turtles looking to lay their eggs. Very little is known about this … Continued
Were dinosaurs dying out before the asteroid apocalypse?
A new study has revealed that dinosaurs were already in serious decline before an asteroid slammed into the side of the planet and finished them off once and for all. From a juncture estimated to be about 220 million years ago, the creatures we know as dinosaurs clawed their collective way to the top of the … Continued
Meet Borneo's pygmy elephants
Think of elephants and you probably picture majestic herds lumbering across an African plain. That’s unsurprising; there are still some 700,000 elephants on the continent, despite being down from as many as five million barely a century ago. The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the poster child for conservation, garnering millions of dollars in pledges … Continued
Africa's vultures are circling towards extinction, a new study warns
One of nature’s most iconic birds—the vultures of Africa—is now in serious danger of vanishing from the continent completely, a new study reports. The assessment, carried out by BirdLife International, discovered that six of Africa’s 11 vulture species are now at risk of extinction. The drastic population decline is thought to be the result of … Continued
Perfectly preserved: 10,000-year-old lion cubs discovered in the Siberian permafrost
Siberia’s permafrost throws up all sorts of oddities from time to time, from wooly mammoth carcasses, to the remains of ancient equine species. But in an extraordinary turn of events, Russian palaeontologists have just discovered what it is being called ‘the most perfectly preserved remains of cave lions ever unearthed.’ The two long-dead cubs, thoughts to … Continued
North America’s forgotten megafauna
Mention megafauna and your imagination probably leaps to Africa with its vast herds of elephant, lumbering rhino and majestic giraffe. But if you thought Africa was the only place where magnificent mammals had evolved then you’d be wrong. Barely a moment ago in geological time giants roamed North America too, as well as many other … Continued